This chapter takes you through the installation process of Tomcat and Struts. Once set up, we work through a simple example, so that you can start experimenting with an executable application as soon as possible.
It is assumed you already have Java installed. If not, get the Enterprise Edition SDK from http://java.sun.com.
Tomcat 5.5.9 (http://jakarta.apache.org/tomcat/) is used for all the examples in this book. The examples should work with all versions of the server, but beginners are urged to use the same version or later to eliminate a potential source of errors. In any case, you should use at least version 4.x.
Many readers would like to ask why Tomcat server was chosen from all the available servers. Some of the reasons for choosing Tomcat are that it is free, you can view the source code, and it is very widely used. Sun Microsystems recommends Tomcat as the reference implementation for servlets and JSPs. Furthermore, if we had shown...